Macron remains favourite as France votes for new president

Paris

THE French people voted on Sunday in a presidential election that pit a pro-European Union centrist against a eurosceptic, anti-immigration far- rightist, with early figures indicating turnout could be low, but above most recent forecasts.

Opinion polls predict 39-year-old ex-economy minister Emmanuel Macron will win the five-year presidency, seeing off the challenge from National Front leader Marine Le Pen after an election campaign full of scandal and upsets.

Voting was due to end Monday at 2am Singapore time with early projections of the result by pollsters due soon after. The last opinion polls on Friday gave Mr Macron between 61.5 and 63 per cent of the vote. Forecasts of the result proved accurate for the tight first-round race be…